Annual Snowman Party

Good Wednesday morning!

Wow! Wednesday already. How did that happen?

The Gallery Pics are miscellaneous to say the least, but noteworthy. At least I think so.

RANDOMNESS #1 - My new mattress will be delivered today. I am dancing a jig, I tell you!

Sometimes it is the "little" things (or the "size of a mattress" things) that bring the most happiness.

RANDOMNESS #2 - Things I've Learned While Raising Teens... A Humbling Experience - I'm going to be sharing a few of these "things" over the next week or so. I'm not saying I have this teenage thing figured out. It's a process. One in which I am sure I will not have conquered until the last teen has left my house... and by then I will either have forgotten what I've learned or it will no longer pertain to my life as a self-proclaimed "Baby" Mama!

I've said it once, and I'll say it again (and again)... I'm a Baby/Preschool Mama. That was, and is, my comfort zone.

Give me a tiny, sleepy, poopy, precious bundle any day of the week, and I will scoop him/her up, kiss him/her on their fat, red cheeks and feed, rock, bathe, powder, moisturize, change, etc., etc. him/her all day long.

I could do the above forever. I am confident in my "Baby" Mama abilities.

I approached the Teenage Years with fear and trepidation. I WANTED to be a good Teenager Mom, but I was afraid the skills just weren't there.

And I was right.

I had to start from scratch and LEARN how to be a Teenager Mom. (Notice I didn't put the word "good" in front of Teenager Mom. I'm still working on "good." Still working hard!)

Today, I simply wanted to talk about one of the differences of "then" and "now."

Laundry - I've been starting each day with laundry for about 20 years now. And if I'm perfectly honest, I'll be ending today with laundry, too. It's a fact of life. Five people create large amounts of laundry.

However, when the kids were little, the laundry was filled with little items. Little underwear. Little socks. Little jeans and tops. Although stain removal was a huge part of my laundry time, the number of loads wasn't overwhelming because I could fit so many "little" items into a load, you see.

Teenager laundry is different. Teenager laundry consists of lots and lots of adult-size jeans, sweatshirts, t-shirts. The bedding, which was once no larger than twin-size, is now queen-size times four.

I will admit that although guys will wear the same thing 24 days in a row (if you let them), the teenage chick in the house will try something on, wear it for 18 minutes before changing into something different... and it ends up in the dirty clothes pile.

Since I am a little "brain-cell deprived" these days, I simply cannot remember if she actually wore all 14 items in the dirty clothes pile in one day or not. So I do laundry.

Please do not look at this as complaining. This is simply life as I know it. Life as a Teenager Mom. It's not a hard life. It's just the life I'm living out of my comfort zone. WAY out of my comfort zone. But I'm doing the best job I possibly can!

Tomorrow's topic... Bedtimes, or lack thereof!

DISCLAIMER #1 - Yes. The teenagers know how to do their own laundry. They wash, fold and put away when instructed and/or time allows. I didn't want you to think they were incapable of helping out, because they will tell you, "We help out A LOT!"

DISCLAIMER #2 - One of my main goals in life is to be a Good Mom. Not just a Good Baby Mom or a Good Preschool Mom, but a Good Mom... all across the board. I'm just letting you know, the last few years I've really, really had to work at it!

Wednesday Wisdom - I bet you thought I had found a quote about a good mattress, didn't you? Close, but no cigar!

"There was never a child so lovely but his mother was glad to get him to sleep."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

"I love sleep. My life has the tendency to fall apart when I'm awake, you know?"
Ernest Hemingway

I don't know if I'm missing the "deeper" meaning, but both of these quotes made me smile this morning.

ADDED LATER IN THE DAY- I started wondering, "Is there such a thing as a 'mattress' quote?" And guess what? There certainly is!

"Self-pity in its early stages is as snug as a feather mattress. Only when it hardens does it become uncomfortable." Maya Angelou

And it's a "deep" quote, too. Who would have thought...

Annual Snowman Party

This idea comes straight from Family Fun Magazine and the Sikes family of Dennard, Arkansas. (I've added a couple of things at the bottom, but this would be a great January party to throw each year.)

Every January, we throw a Snowman Party for our extended family. We transform our house into a winter wonderland by stringing lights and putting out lots of decorations, and we enjoy a day of snowman-themed food and games. Whether there's real snow on the ground or not, we always look forward to some frosty fun.

We decorate by displaying our snowman figurines, then we hang up crocheted snowmen, paper snowflakes and blue and white lights.

We serve a meal the way you build a snowman... backward. We eat dessert first (Rice Krispies snowman bars are a hit), then dinner, which might be a snowman-shaped meat loaf or meatballs on rice. Last, we almost always serve a "melted snowman" appetizer (creamy potato soup with raisin eyes, peppercorn buttons and a carrot nose floating on top).

And to drink? White hot chocolate, of course!

We've played Pin the Carrot on the Snowman and staged a mock game show based on snowman trivia. One year we held an indoor scavenger hunt, racing to find the various parts of paper snowmen hidden throughout the house.

ADDED BY THE ENCHANTING BELINDA - Since "the weather outside is frightful," it can be a movie or board game kind of evening, too.

Your devotion for the end of the party can be taken from Isaiah 1:18. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow." Have one of the adults at the party read the verse and simply talk about the meaning.

What is another word for "scarlet?" Red.

According to the Bible, what washes away our sins? The blood of Jesus Christ.

What color is blood? Red.

What do you think this verse really means? Jesus was sent to die on the cross for our sins. His blood was spilled for each and every one of us. Our sins can be forgiven if only we ask!

Finish the short devotion by saying John 3:16 aloud and in unison. "For God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

Have a wacky, wonderful Wednesday. Don't try to contact me after 8:00 tonight. As soon as church is over, I'll be going to bed on my brand new mattress. I'm hoping to sleep for ten straight hours in uninterrupted bliss. (We all know this will NEVER happen, but a girl can dream... especially on a new mattress!)

I'll be back in the morning with GREAT Blog Linkage, a fun Date, MORE Things I've Learned While Raising Teens and some pics.

Take care and I'll talk to you tomorrow.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda

P.S. If you are unable to leave a comment on the blog, feel free to contact me via Facebook or e-mail (mfaulkner1306@charter.net).